Topic: FF7 and SotN

[suomynona]

I just felt like FF7 and SotN has so much in common.

Both came out in 1997 Q1 for PSX, celebreating 20th anniversary 2017.
Both had distinctive change of artwork.
Both have the bishonen-style male protagonist with inherited sword, one of more physical female protagonist and a corrupted once-hero antagonist with a long-range melee weapon.
Both used to come out on Nintendo consoles (at least of most of the famous ones that light gamers would know).
Both the series' originates from late 1980s game from NES.
Both games have understandable but somewhat poor localisation.
Both game have real-time and RPG element.
Both game used a new style which is different from earlier instalments.

Both the protagonist have destroyed the main villain before.
Both games have someone that male protagonist love getting killed.
Both the final bosses have form of weird stuff with a human on top, the first phase of the final battle is with sphere-shaped enemy that influenced the antagonist to corrupt.

[Dracula9]

Vague general details like this can compare basically anything.

Be like saying Castlevania ripped off Indiana Jones because the Belmonts are the heroes that use whips or that SotN takes place in the same world as Middle-Earth only centuries later because weapons have LotR names or that Alucard definitely isn't in Kansas anymore because of those three dudes in the Inverted Library.

They're interesting thoughts...but so big of a stretch that one could use the resulting stretchedness to carry Galamoth to the hospital.

[BLOOD MONKEY]

They're interesting thoughts...but so big of a stretch that one could use the resulting stretchedness to carry Galamoth to the hospital.

Ow.

[zangetsu468]

The way I see the similarities in both have more to do with the 2d pixel vs 3d polygon era.

FFVII was the first FF to use 3d graphics. The signficance of this was a sense of realism which you didn't previously have in RPGs. If anyone played the previous ones, including FFVI, during battles the player/ enemy "attacks" with an animation, but they don't actually physically strike them as they do in FFVII. That was the sense of realism you got from 3d battles, not to mention the CGI cutscenes for the first time ever, despite the fact the backgrounds we still static images. (and well done at that). This was the PSX and the start of the 3d era which was then heavily flooding the gaming market (lest we forget the 3do).

SOTN was the last Consolevania to use 2d pixel style graphics (interestingly while running on a 3d engine.) It was also the first exploration based CV and perhaps gave more of a sense of realism and scale to 'Castlevania', rather than the castle being part of the game, or being played through in segments. Also the first CV to feature voice actors. This was the end of the 2D era so to speak, most games were now converging into their 3d counterparts.

Both mark the start/ end of an era in gaming.

 

[Shiroi Koumori]

Both just mark how old we are. Hahahahahaha!

Alucard >>> Cloud for me

[zangetsu468]

Both just mark how old we are. Hahahahahaha!

Alucard >>> Cloud for me

#Alucloud

I remember reading articles regarding both games back in the days of gaming magazines. One particular article reviewing Sotn - and I'm sure it was EGM - had a headline reading "Castlevania: Symphony of the Night; Better than Final Fantasy VII".

I lurv me some Sotn and in terms of replaying games I'd rather play it than FFVII, but in context I think VII was the better game. Sotn is unforgettable though and will age better than 90% of games out there.

[BLOOD MONKEY]

In all honesty I find FF7 to be "okay". It never really engaged me in the story, and the gameplay was kinda just there for me. I probably view SotN as an amazing game because it was the only game I had for almost 3 years.

They're both good games in their own right, but they both also have large flaws that are mostly overlooked because of nostalgia.

[X]

SotN stands out way more for me the FFVII. I tried to get into FFVII but I just couldn't. The large 3D blocky people didn't do anything for me. They should have gone with pixelated characters instead. Kinda like we see in some of those other RPGs back in the day. In terms of FF it left a lot to be desired. But SotN was one of the best experiences to ever happen to me. It made 1997 a really good year.

[Ratty]

I just felt like FF7 and SotN has so much in common.

Both came out in 1997 Q1 for PSX, celebreating 20th anniversary 2017.
Both had distinctive change of artwork.
Both have the bishonen-style male protagonist with inherited sword, one of more physical female protagonist and a corrupted once-hero antagonist with a long-range melee weapon.
Both used to come out on Nintendo consoles (at least of most of the famous ones that light gamers would know).
Both the series' originates from late 1980s game from NES.
Both games have understandable but somewhat poor localisation.
Both game have real-time and RPG element.
Both game used a new style which is different from earlier instalments.

Both the protagonist have destroyed the main villain before.
Both games have someone that male protagonist love getting killed.
Both the final bosses have form of weird stuff with a human on top, the first phase of the final battle is with sphere-shaped enemy that influenced the antagonist to corrupt.

I guess that kinda shows the zeitgeist of Japanese pop culture/game dev aesthetics at the time. Neat stuff to note.
On an interesting related note, I just found out that I've been playing through an American game from 1997 on its 20th anniversary (20th anniversary of the 1st/shareware episode, which I played through this month) and it shows just how different the aesthetics of US devs were at the time. It was all about being macho, edgy and self-aware/tongue-in-cheek.
Warning: pixel-rendered gore.

I probably view SotN as an amazing game because it was the only game I had for almost 3 years.

I don't know, nostalgia probably helps but the game still has a lot going for it for someone coming in fresh, I myself didn't play it until many years after release. But the controls, artwork and soundtrack all stand up as one of the best experiences of the PS1 and probably of gaming overall in the 1990s. It's a true classic.

[Jazz Paladin Productions]

You know, for me the big irony is that I spent far more time waiting , pining and drooling over FF7 before it came out than I did for SOTN

...But I ended up playing (and still play) SOTN far more. SOTN is in a regular rotation of "play again" cycles for me. I haven't played FF7 in ages...perhaps I would have if the new FF7 remake were traditional JRPG style, but that is another story...

[Shiroi Koumori]

I haven't played FF7 in ages...perhaps I would have if the new FF7 remake were traditional JRPG style, but that is another story...

Hehehe... ain't gonna happen.

[zangetsu468]

Hehehe... ain't gonna happen.

Don't know about you but from what I've played of XV I'm really looking forward to VII remake though.

[Shiroi Koumori]

Don't know about you but from what I've played of XV I'm really looking forward to VII remake though.

I'm actually looking forward to it because it is finally not turn based. I shun the traditional turn based JRPGs.

[Bloodreign]

The only thing in common for me is I preordered both games back in the day, as well as Mortal Kombat Trilogy for the PS1.

[Kale]

Those turn based rpgs are the shit! Loved them then, and love them now. Recently beat FF8 and FFX been going through Shadow Hearts 2 but I've been distracted.